Pastor Amaka Maduneme @ Sunday First Service
Speaking from the theme for the year, God’s Revealing Glory, Pastor Amaka Maduneme, at February 20, 2022, first service, emphasised the need for believers to engage in the primary assignment given to them by God. This primary assignment is to carry the glory of God everywhere, encourage people, and tell them about the love of God. According to her, we are the carriers of God’s glory and everywhere we go, people need to see us and testify to the presence of God’s glory in and upon our lives. Therefore, believers must live the kind of life that brings praise and glory to God, seek the good of others, and spread the gospel as stated in Matthew 6:33.
Speaking from Exodus 33:13-18, the clergywoman pointed out the fact that we cannot have enough of God and we cannot also take God for granted. She likened Moses in the passage to “an Oliver Twist” who kept asking God for more and more and he continually found favour in the sight of God. She further emphasised that believers need God every day of their lives because He is the source and no one can survive without Him. She also assured the congregation of God’s presence even in the midst of chaos and turbulence and prophesied that the year 2022 will come with amazing wonders; hopelessness will be turned into happiness, weeping will be turned into laughter, and there will be a burst of testimonies in the midst of God’s children.
As a way of defining the glory of God, Pastor Maduneme stated that God’s glory is not just a feeling or an experience, rather, it is a spiritual tsunami of everything complete in the character of God. She continued by saying that, “the word “glory” is literally translated as “heavyweight” and that God’s glory is the weight of God. The glory is the manifested presence of God, God’s power that resurrects, delivers, and transforms, and this power is resident in us”. She also noted that it takes great faith to see a manifestation of God’s glory.
Speaking further on the glory of God, she stated that, “the glory of God is the manifest beauty of His holiness. It is the public display of God’s holiness and God’s glory; it is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections, focusing on the manifestation of His character, worth, and attributes.”
The woman of God also led the congregation to read Isaiah 40:12–31 while emphasising the magnificence of God. The scripture gave details about God’s sovereignty and authority over all things and the need for believers to stop complaining but rather put their utmost trust in God at all times and listen to Him because He is always speaking and wants us to hear Him.
While concluding the sermon, Pastor Maduneme led the congregation to pray from Psalms 138:8, Isaiah 41:18-20, and Isaiah 59:21.
GRACE IS THE OPPOSITE OF KARMA
Pastor Chukwuma Nzegwu @ Sunday second service
Pastor Chukwuma Nzegwu stated during his sermon at the Sunday second service on February 20 that grace is God’s love for the ungodly, the unmerited FAVOUR of God shed abroad to all; stating that God’s benevolence on the undeserving is all coined in the word “Grace.”
Speaking to the theme for the year, the clergy noted that God’s glory has been revealed to us only on the account of grace. “We are not to underestimate this significant character of God, for it is dangerous to fall into the hands of God as stated in Hebrews 10:31,” he said.
The man of God further explained grace as the Magnus opus of the nature of God, noting that God is far more powerful than anything that can happen to us. He cited Revelation 21:5, Isaiah 43:19, and Romans 8:28 to say that God is making all things new.
The clergy-medical doctor further opined that there is no such thing as a self-made man or woman, adding that we are all products of grace. “We do need humility to be able to do the work of God in this dispensation,” he said. Quoting Numbers 12:3, 1 Timothy 6:17, Proverbs 6:16-19, and Isaiah 14:13-14, the clergy explained the issue of pride, which is the nature of God’s enemy (the devil).
He used Luke 15:11-32, the story of the Prodigal son and the story of King Hezekiah (2Kings 18:3-5, 20:1-3, 5) to further explain the extent of God’s grace and love for us all.
He concluded by saying, “Eternity is our home and we should always be concerned about this, for death is certain and we need to be ready for it whenever it comes.”
THE ROYAL LAW
Pastor Paul Briggs @ Thursday Showers
Speaking at the February 17th, 2022 Showers Service, Pastor Paul Briggs, Resident Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Kings Dome, Egbeda, spoke on what he titled “The Royal Law.” Making reference to II Corinthians 3:18 and James 2:8, he revealed that the Bible was written in a monarchical context with the structure of a King, His Kingdom and His Sons. He referred to a kingdom as the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his will, values and intents, thereby producing a culture that influences its citizens. He inferred that the church remains God’s embassy where Christians learn about their country and are guided by a constitution whose source is the Bible.
Pastor Briggs stated, according to the Book of James 2:8, that the governing law of our kingdom is the law of love. He said that God’s love is still four-dimensional, as shown in Ephesians 4:18, and that we should love Him in four dimensions, as shown in Mark 12:30.
He used 1 John 4:8 to back up the fact that God is love, and he told people to correct their misguided view of how God shows his love to us in order to love our neighbours the right way. Reading Matthew 5:44, he hinted that the recommendation for love can be stringent, but the disciples never went contrary to these laws to get Paul converted. “Christianity is not a religion but a life,” he said, and God’s utmost desire for us is a genuine relationship with Him,” he added.
In closing his exhortation, Pastor Paul Briggs noted that God’s love is not based on our performance, as He has already loved us as He loved Christ. Pointing out hindrances to receiving God’s love to include personal theology, unanswered prayers, and sin, he added that despite all this, according to the qualities of love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, God remains steadfast, forbearing of us, of good thoughts towards us, and above all, He never fails us.
